Original subtitles

[spooky music ♪]

♪♪

[boat horn blows]

[seagulls caw]

[boat engine sputtering]

♪♪

[cars passing]

Hey!

Hey, assholes!

Turn the fuckin' lights on!

[foreboding music ♪]

[intense music ♪]

[metallic clanking]

[water splashing]

♪♪

[groan] Hey!

Hey! Wh-What're you doin'?

Hey! Hey!

[electricity sizzles, man screaming]

[electricity humming]

[dog barking in distance]

[eerie music ♪]

[pencil scratching]

♪♪

Okay, just keep the press boys out of here, and remember,

I'm the only one that makes a statement.

We'll be fucked if the department shoots its mouth off.

[sighs] Sheesh.

He's sexually molested?

Unlikely.

[whispers] Close the goddamn door.

Mouth, rectum, all clean.

Right, Gabe?

That's right.

The preliminary examination showed no signs of trauma in those areas.

I'm listing the cause of death as asphyxiation due to drowning.

Look at his ankle, Tom.

Almost ripped his leg off trying to cut loose from that steel ladder.

- Mm. - These cuffs are unregistered.

You can buy 'em anywhere.

To get this body cuffed and attached to the bottom rung of a pool ladder,

the killer had to be a goddamn ape.

Or a bull.

His friends claim that he was past exhaustion before he even got into the pool.

Did over 300 push-ups.

Seems he was seeing some girl who liked her men strong.

[scoffs] Poor bastard.

He ain't so strong now.

[chuckles] He will be in a few days.

That girl they found in the river, she was handcuffed, too.

That's right, Tom. Same as these, impossible to trace.

The uniform characteristics in both cases indicate

that they were both handled by the same strongman.

Uniform characteristics?

What the hell do you know about uniform characteristics?

It's simple, you just examine the details...

Goddamn talk, you learn from a textbook at John Jay night school.

It's apparent, Lieutenant, the...

Nothing's apparent in murder, Rich!

Just...

Just find the facts.

Where's Weeks?

If he's moonlightin' again,

I'll make him eat his fuckin' badge.

It's bleeding.

Can you fix that?

No.

You don't have a band-aid?

No.

I only work on the dead.

Let's get outta here.

[crowd laughing]

I mean, or... Uh...

'Cause you know, like, an overripe banana,

it could rust that icepick you have in there.

Give someone lockjaw.

[crowd laughing]

So... He gives me the line again.

"Hey. Hey, you a comedian?"

I go right into my George Burns.

[crowd laughing]

"Ah, that's right, I am. Uh, I am a comedian. I'm also a cop.

So... drop your banana...

[crowd laughing]

and say goodnight, Gracie."

[applause]

Goodnight!

Goodnight, Gracie.

Thank you! Thank you very much.

[cheers, applause]

Larry Weeks, ladies and gentlemen.

Let's give him a big hand, okay?

Hey, great show, Larry.

Oh, thanks, Joe. Hey, did ya get it?

- Yeah, every word. - All right.

[clapping]

Hey, Lou. Did you catch the act?

I got it now. I just need the hands for Burns...

I'd worry more about my ass than my hands, if I were you, Weeks.

- What, Cullum? - Yeah.

I lied to him.

I told him you were on your way to the Con Ed murder site.

Con Ed murder site?

Your name is Weeks, right?

Hey, you're really pissed.

Listen, buddy, Cullum is pissed enough for all of us.

Where's the scene?

Across town.

[tape recorder playing set]

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Why didn't you call me?

I did, twice.

They told me you were out to lunch.

I told 'em I knew that.

I was in the cellars, listening to my tapes.

- I am getting so close. - Oh, yeah?

[audience laughing over tape recorder]

Any closer, star, and there's only thing

you're gonna have to worry about.

I know I shouldn't ask, but what is it?

Whether you want salt, pepper, or ketchup on your badge.

[sirens wailing, police radio chatter]

[brakes squeal]

Good evening.

What do ya got?

Holy shit. Handcuffs.

Some night, a two-bagger.

Cullum.

Glad you could come.

One more gig while you're on duty, buddy,

and you're gonna eat my fuckin' badge.

Salt, pepper, and ketchup, Chief, hold the onion.

[chuckles] Comedian.

From here on, everybody's mouth is shut.

No leaks.

I don't want that bastard killing for publicity, you hear me?

No M.O. for the press until we clean it up.

I want no labels on him, like the Handcuff Killer.

If we got another strangler or Son of Sam,

we grab him first, then give him to the show boys.

Lieutenant.

Consider yourselves obstructed.

Lieutenant.

Weeks, you file the report.

- Lieutenant. - Do it nice. What?

- McCormack. - Hello, Lieutenant.

Here they finally put you in pictures.

Yeah, they couldn't resist me.

Yeah, I know it's hard... We're doing what we can.

You just keep your pretty ass outta that tent, hm?

Will you do that for me? - Yes, sir, whatever you say.

Right.

See to it.

Come on.

Hey, you guys. Hey, come here.

Let's get a wide shot of that tent, okay?

Who told him I was workin' the Comic Strip?

Everybody knows it.

You're my friend, Lou, you shoulda protected me.

I got caught in the middle of all this shit.

I hate fights.

When my wife and mother-in-law go at it, I go to the movies.

Hey, Weeks.

It's for your George Burns. Huh?

You got him down yet?

Cullum is really biting my ass.

Yeah?

Well, the guy hates talent, I mean, what can I say?

Yeah, you keep your pretty ass outta that tent.

[laughing] That's good, Weeks, that's great. I'm impressed.

[chuckles] Come here.

- Guess who took over my show. - Who?

Werner Armstrong.

- No shit? - Yeah.

Who's Werner Armstrong?

He's the station manager for the east coast affiliate.

[chuckling] Come on!

Channel 6 hasn't even made it to Jersey yet.

Well, they got hope. Look, they're hiring people with vision.

Ahh, two weeks on the tube,

you're, uh, you're pushin' for the Snyder spot, huh?

Listen, I figure two years, wise-ass, I'm gonna be in with the majors.

[chuckling]

- I want you to meet him. - Who?

God. Werner Armstrong.

Werner Armstrong! Oh, great!

And what'll I do, Hitler?

I don't do him, it depresses people.

Listen, he's got a variety assumption, and I told him

I got a friend who, uh, occasionally does impressions

and, once in a while, can pull off a joke.

- You're kidding! - Nah.

Ohh, Schaffer city!

Yeah, well, it's the least I could do, you know?

I mean, I figure, we're buddies, right?

Remember all those nights in your patrol car with the pimps,

the numbers, the hookers...

Ahh! The hookers, yeah.

[both laughing]

You're really a fucking whore, you know that, Mac?

No pictures in the tent, you heard the man.

Yeah.

[sigh]

Okay.

Pack it in, Steve!

[clears throat]

I'll see ya, Weeks.

Maybe in, uh, 15 years, when you get your pension, okay?

[sarcastic laughter] Come here.

What do you want?

What do you think I want?

We both know those killings aren't just another statistic.

I wanna use 'em on my show.

Boy, it's hard bein' a cop.

I mean, the, uh, pay's shits, the hours are long, and, uh,

your life is always on the line.

Al Pacino, "Serpico."

Yeah, of course it is. I knew that.

[chuckles]

Come on, you wanna be in the movies, kiddo, you gotta take the risks.

Werner Armstrong, huh?

Well, what do you wanna know?

♪♪

[door opens, closes]

Hi.

Hi.

You're home early.

How was your day?

You wouldn't believe the new interns.

One followed me, all day.

I lost him in Radiology.

He's cute, though.

No, thanks.

The last one you tried to fix me up with

wanted to show me what a good gynecologist he was.

Was he?

Muriel...

[giggling] - What're you drawing?

I just started something for class.

- Want some orange juice? - No, thanks.

Come on, have some, it's good for you.

You seen the paper? - Mm-mm.

Found out who that girl was.

You know, the one in the Hudson River.

A model from Toronto.

Here it is.

Her name was Betty Mercer.

Police located her family in South Philadelphia,

where the teenager was born.

She moved to Toronto two years ago.

She's doing those porno films.

Your family's in Philly, you know her?

No.

You were up late last night.

I was working on my portfolio.

What else is new?

I quit my job.

Why?

I hate being a waitress.

The black and blue marks aren't worth the tips.

You think that's such a good idea?

Probably not.

You okay?

[sigh]

You don't sleep. You won't go out.

You just quit your job.

Is everything all right?

Yeah... Just fine, really, but

let's just drop it, okay?

Okay.

I've an idea.

Tell you what, we'll go out to dinner.

Splurge.

Italian.

Thai.

Chinese.

Sushi.

I saw the drawings, Virna.

♪♪

Why didn't you just say it?

You're not that easy to say it to.

Here, read the description yourself.

She's the same girl you drew, isn't she?

It won't happen again, Muriel.

I won't let it.

♪♪

Hey! You're early today!

[woman] Thirty to air.

[TV director] Okay, now, Flo,

when he finishes the, uh, Mary Smith letter,

he will go right to the flower lady.

Tell her she looks gorgeous.

Don't be nervous. Mac'll introduce you. You look beautiful.

You all set, Mac?

Yup, I'm all set.

Blind panicking.

D'you got your letter?

Yes, I have my letter... Are we starting on camera two?

Camera two.

Thank you.

I thought you stopped smoking.

I did, I did. I just keep it to, uh, t-to play it.

Uh,

Mac, can you move a little bit to your left?

Straighten your tie?

[TV director] Someone down there, straighten his tie.

[woman] Seven, six...

I'm leaving now, I-I'll be back in an hour.

Five, four...

Three, two...

[news jingle plays ♪]

Good morning. This is Paul McCormack,

and the show's called, "Talk Back."

This morning, I wanna read you a letter I received from, uh, Mary Smith.

"Dear Mac,

I don't know about the rest of the world,

but I'm scared to death of the streets.

Living alone is no joke, and after the murder

of that poor girl they found in the river, the handcuffs,

the mutilation,

I'm considering doing one of two things,

becoming a recluse or moving away."

And signed, Mary Smith.

There's no address, but there is a P.S.

"Mary Smith is not my real name.

You think I'm stupid, or something?

Nobody's going to get me."

I think the point is that we have to ask ourselves,

what person doesn't suffer from "Mary Smith paranoia,"

and with good reason.

Everyday we hear about murder, mutilation,

gunnings, knifings, I mean, the list goes on and on.

Gory details served up with your coffee and morning newspaper,

but that's our reality.

And we can't escape it by simply burying our heads in the sand

and pretending it isn't so.

This morning,

I wanna focus on the Betty Mercer case.

Iris in on the murdered girl

who was found floating in the Hudson River a few days ago.

What people don't know is that the night before last,

the murderer left his calling card.

A pair of handcuffs around the wrist of the man he electrocuted...

That's not in this format.

And the ankle of another man he drowned.

[over tape recorder] "And say goodnight, Gracie."

[audience laughing over tape recorder]

[Mac] What one detective called "a-a two-bagger,"

has been buried by a particular police lieutenant.

And although the hunt is on to find this maniac,

the point that Mary Smith makes is absolutely right.

Stay in your house, or move away from the Big Apple,

because there's a nut out there with a pair of handcuffs. Maybe we...

[phone trilling] Guess who.

It's Werner Armstrong.

[groaning]

[sighs] Christ!

When they clam up, under orders, about a killer,

a handcuff killer,

who's beginning to look like another Son of Sam,

well then, maybe it's time that the press had something to do about it.

So,

"Talk Back."

What do you think?

I think you've got my ass in a sling.

[sigh]

[exhales]

[scoffs] No, I swear, Lieutenant, uh...

I swear to God, Lieutenant...

I swear to God, Lieutenant Cullum,

I didn't say a word.

[sighs] Shit!

[picture frame clatters]

[car door closes]

You've just started on the job, and now, you pull this.

Look, Channel 6 is not in the tabloid business, Mac.

You know how concerned we are with station image.

I had a tough time selling "Talk Back" and you.

The phones haven't stopped ringing, Werner.

The word now is that you are aiding and abetting.

Oh, that's Cullum, he blocked information,

now he's trying to cover his ass.

- Oh, come on, Mac. - He's blocking the press.

[woman] There's Paul McCormack!

[man] Who?

[woman] The guy on TV!

Come on, Werner. We both know we're into something hot.

Let me play it out.

As long as the public is listening to me,

they're listening to Channel 6.

Okay.

Have a nice lunch.

Four Seasons.

[car door closes, engine starts]

[TV reporter] Police officials have declined to comment.

A Con Edison employee was electrocuted

while working with high-tech computer lines.

The man has been identified as James Dearden,

a three year employee with the company.

Reports from the scene seem to indicate murder,

but no motive is apparent at this time.

Police are continuing the investigation of the bizarre,

handcuffed murder of a young woman whose sexually molested

and abused body was found floating in the Hudson River two days ago.

According to police sources, the woman has been tentatively

identified as Betty Mercer,

a young model...

[woman giggling]

evidence pointing to similarities in all three of these recent deaths

has been made public by local talk show host, Paul McCormack

on his program "Talk Back."

McCormack contends that the use of handcuffs

is a link in these grizzly murders.

Police deny McCormack's allegations and refused to comment.

Police Commissioner...

[jukebox music playing ♪]

[bar ambiance]

[TV reporter continues faintly]

You understand?

Are you gonna cuff me?

Are you gonna take me in?

As God as my witness, I swear by Him and his blessed mother,

I killed the bastards for what they done to me.

You dumb schmuck! If you don't take me in,

I'll work my way up Broadway, clear through to the Bronx!

Get Weeks and Rich, bring them inside.

Come on, Weeks.

[phones ringing]

[sigh]

That information was classified.

Maybe McCormack overheard us at the site.

- He wasn't near us. - He had a microphone.

Facts, Rich, facts.

We got to be prepared to face a mile of blind leads

and every fucking nut in the city who turns themself in.

And as for you Weeks...

I think that you should ask for a transfer.

Oh, Lieutenant, look, I know what you're thinking, but it's not me.

You tell me, you're not the leak?

I swear to God, Lieutenant Cullum... I didn't say a word.

I'm as pure as a baby's ass.

[sighs]

[door opens, slams]

Yeah, with a diaper full of shit.

- Oh! - Oh, hi.

- Oh, how ya doin'? - All right, uh, how are you?

Is, uh, is Mac in? - I'm fine.

Oh, yeah, but he's sleepin'.

Oh, oh, that's okay, he's expecting me. I'll wake him very gently.

All right.

Good morning!

It's your wakeup call.

Oh, Jesus...

What're you doin' here, Weeks?

[exhales]

What time is it?

Oh, 4:30 in the afternoon.

[exhales]

My nap time, clown!

I work in the morning.

Well, I came to congratulate you for fucking up my life.

Thanks.

What? Cullum break you?

Who, me? Nah, not me.

What? Little Caesar?

Naw, not me, see.

How old are you, Weeks?

You know how old I am.

Well, tell me again, buddy.

I'll be 35 next month.

There ya go.

Well, you don't know it yet, apparently, but I just gave you a birthday present,

the opportunity of a lifetime.

What the hell are you talking about?

Well, you're 35 years old. I'm 33.

Old men are quaking in their boots.

Cullum knows I'm the leak, now.

Well, Big fuckin' deal. Does he have any proof?

No. Look out.

If anything goes wrong for him,

he's gonna get farmed out to some kind of, uh,

elephant graveyard.

You got your whole life ahead of ya.

Come on, come on, look out.

You provoked a killer, Mac.

[chuckles] No, I didn't provoke him.

I publicized him.

Look at it, Weeks, will ya? Look at it!

I mean, we're a team, you and I, right?

[water splashing] Come on, a cop and a- a bullshit reporter,

but if we're careful and smart,

we can come up with this Handcuff Killer.

You get credit for the arrest,

and I make a run for the majors.

Credit for the arrest?

I'm gonna end up pounding a beat in the boondocks

for giving out classified information.

I spoke to Werner Armstrong this morning.

Yeah, so?

Your career is about to begin, my friend.

You're gonna be so hot after we make this arrest,

you can choose whether you want,

uh, Cullum's job or a TV show of your own.

Weeks, do you believe in yourself?

Huh?

'Cause I do.

Get a shot like this, you cannot let anything stand in your way.

Come on, I'm make ya some breakfast.

Better make me a drink.

♪♪

Virna.

Virna?

- I'm sorry, I have to go. - What's the matter?

A-Aren't you going to class?

No, no, I can't.

I-I-I'm okay, really, I just have to go now. - Well... aren't you gonna...

♪♪

I'm sorry, Ben, I just, I... I have to go.

[Cullum] So, what do we got?

We got three bodies, we got three pairs of handcuffs,

we got no prints, we got nothin'.

[knocking] Come in.

I got nothin'. [phones ringing]

And I got heartburn.

Thank you. Close the door on your way out, please.

Con Ed guy and the kid we fished out of the pool,

both went to the same type hooker.

So, it figures that they both knew Betty Mercer.

And check the same type hook and see if the Mercer girl was one of 'em.

It's a matter of deduction.

Move it, Professor!

Hit the back rooms of the porno shops and the kink bars.

You know, wear your holster with the silver studs

through the leather seam.

[door opens, closes]

First, the stand-up comic, now a smart-ass college graduate.

Keep an eye on Weeks.

Lock him out of all information regarding the killer.

He'd fuckin' sell his mother if he could.

That's show business.

Yeah, he's on to something else, you watch him.

Hello, this is Paul McCormack, and the show is called "Talk Back."

Your name and comment, please.

[over phone] Charlie Morrissey,

I drive a bus in the Bronx, 22 years.

Now, it's time all the hookers got cleaned outta the parks system.

I mean, you can't take your wife for a walk in...

Sorry, Charlie, but your call's outta line.

This program's devoted to the Handcuff Killer.

Why don't you try the Mayor's office.

[Charlie] Oh, that son of a...

Hello, this is Paul McCormack, and the show is called "Talk Back."

[man over phone] You know me, but you don't know where I am.

Well, tell us your name, sir, and...

You've seen my work, Mac.

Hello?

Are you there?

I know what I have to do.

And if you're not careful, you and I will do more than talk.

Hello?

Who are you?

[cars honking]

[steady breathing] [clock ticking]

[foreboding music ♪]

[clock ticking] [distant noise]

[footsteps]

[suspenseful music ♪]

[gasps]

I thought you were asleep.

Muriel.

[panting]

I need your help.

It happened again, didn't it?

It never stops.

I did this in class today.

It's you.

He kept reaching for his ankle.

He didn't know what was happening.

You sure you weren't there?

After he was handcuffed, he was pulled to the fence,

and electrocuted.

This image keeps recurring, I've drawn it many times.

This?

These look like bedposts.

After she was killed, she was put in the river.

She offered her hands, smiling.

And then, other hands moved in

and slid the handcuffs over her wrists.

Then, something was pulled over her face.

Why didn't you come in sooner?

I... I didn't wanna get involved.

Well, why now?

Look...

I think the killer must know who I am.

Has anyone else seen these drawings?

Uh, just Muriel.

I talked to one or two people at the hospital.

Means the whole world knows.

How do you make these drawings?

My hand takes over.

Well, how does that happen?

It's unconscious.

Have you ever had this kind of experience before?

Yes, I was 16.

How long ago was that?

I was a senior in high school, um...

I was in art class, sketching.

In the music room next door,

I... I heard someone playing the piano.

It was springtime.

I remember the smell of apples, something sweet.

The sun was very bright.

I hear something at the window.

There she is.

Who?

Elizabeth, that was her name.

Just a little girl who'd been lost for about two days.

You mean, you saw her outside the window.

No.

You watched her, like watching TV or something?

No, I was with her.

I was on the same street with her.

She was lost. She didn't know what to do,

so she wandered down a footpath into a vacant lot.

And?

What did you do?

Well, I told my mother about it, and she knew that Elizabeth was lost.

How'd your mother know Elizabeth was lost?

She had the gift, too.

The gift?

Clairvoyance.

She did automatic handwriting.

Your hand takes over and, uh...

Well, it's very hard to explain, especially when no one believes you.

Did you find the girl?

Yes.

Elizabeth Cotteray.

Well, I went back to the same room, and I drew another picture.

Same thing started happening all over again.

Get me the Mercer file.

The light from the window...

It's like a pull from outside myself,

out on the same street with Elizabeth.

I see the street sign.

It's Holloway and Park.

And my hand draws this.

It's like a hypnotic trance.

Yes.

They found her three blocks away.

You were close.

Not this close.

Oh, there are others. I know they're connected.

Here.

What is it? It's just lines.

[sighs] I don't know, but I know they're connected to the killings.

This is... just the same as that.

Looks like a roadmap or something.

But this is the one that frightens me the most.

Something that belongs to the killer.

Killer, huh?

Oh, simple... handcuffs.

Are these visions self-induced, Miss, uh...

Nightbourne.

How the hell did you get in here, McCormack?

That door's not marked "Men's Room."

I came downtown at the request of your department, Lieutenant,

to sign a statement.

You sign the statement?

Oh, yes, sir. I certainly did, and then, I just, uh...

wandered down the hall.

Now you can just wander back up the hall.

Weeks'll help ya if ya get lost again.

Actually, Lieutenant, I was gonna ask you to do my show.

Would you just get outta here?

But I can see you're under so much pressure that...

- Thank you. - you'll probably embarrass yourself.

Goodbye, everybody.

Ladies.

Miss Betty Mercer. Alias, Betty Cowl.

Alias, Betty Mercer-Cowl.

Alias, Elizabeth Mercer-Cowl.

Born, Elizabeth Cotteray in 1964.

Makes her 17.

She was the same girl, Miss Nightbourne.

Sh-she was in trouble.

She was calling out to me again.

You think you could draw us a picture of the killer, Miss Nightbourne?

[shuddering breaths] I should've known.

You know, uh... the, uh,

the color of his eyes,

shape of his nose,

the mouth, scars?

I should've come sooner. I should've come sooner.

[phone ringing]

All right, Miss Nightbourne, thank you.

You may go, ladies.

We'll be in touch.

Weeks, would you help the ladies out, please? - Sure.

Thank you very much, Miss Nightbourne.

Jesus.

Weird shit.

Betty Mercer worked out of a bar called The Pearl.

Now, I checked out relatives and friends of the victims,

but they didn't seem to know each other.

Did they know Betty Mercer?

Not according to the bartender.

It's a, uh... a transient kinda place.

You know, rough trade.

Did she have a pimp? Maybe he killed her.

Nah, she worked freelance.

Burt Johnson, you know, the swimmer...

- Yeah. - Was a college A-student,

and Dearden, the Con Ed man, uh, had a wife and two kids.

[scoffs] Hm.

Decent, upstanding citizens.

[chuckling] My ass.

[traffic noises]

Taxi!

She'll take good care of ya.

Listen, uh... Oh, there's a cab.

If, uh, you do any more of these drawings,

don't show them to anyone, all right?

- Okay. - Just give me a call at that number.

- All right, uh, well... - Okay?

Thanks, Detective Weeks for everything...

- Sure thing. - Okay, bye.

Now, don't fall out, put your button down.

Don't fall out.

Shit, what a stupid thing to say.

[doorbell buzzing]

[buzzing continues]

Uh, Miss Nightbourne?

Uh, soaking wet...

[laughing] Sorry about that.

Do you mind if I come in? - Um, well, I...

I don't know whether you remember me, I was at the, uh...

- Uh, Paul McCormack. - Yeah, yes.

Good, you do remember me.

Come in.

Thank you.

That was quite a show you and Lieutenant Cullum

played for us at the police station last night.

[clears throat] Besides, I've been watching your, uh...

exposé on TV.

Oh, good, good, and I saw yours.

I beg your pardon?

Your... [chuckling] Your exposé, your drawings.

Oh...

They were scary.

Very.

Yeah, and very, uh...

very visual.

I mean, almost, uh, almost documentary.

Look, Mr. McCormack, I...

Oh, everybody calls me Mac.

I will not do a segment on your TV show entitled,

"Let's Draw a Murder."

I knew that's what you wanted when I opened the door.

You are psychic.

[chuckles] You don't have to be a visionary, Mac,

to recognize a hype.

Must be very exciting.

You don't give up, do you?

[chuckles]

No, I mean being a visionary.

Can you see your future?

[sigh]

When I was 16, I had my feet scratched,

my knees hammered, my cranium stuck with pins.

Ooh, ouch.

I've been EEG'd and cat-scanned, but nobody...

nobody ever gave me a crystal ball.

I want you on my show.

I thought we just finished that conversation.

But you didn't hear my offer.

Now, what I wanna do very simply...

Yes, is exploit me. I know.

I think becoming a celebrity is-is hardly exploitation.

Look, Miss Nightbourne, I... - My friends call me Virna.

[both laughing] Touché.

Okay, Virna.

I wanna make a deal with you.

At least let me make my pitch.

What have you been doing, selling encyclopedias?

Now, I say drawing pictures

of murders on TV is dangerous.

Well... [telephone rings]

Hello?

Hello, Virna?

Hello, this is Detective Weeks, Virna.

Please, don't say my name.

Uh, look, I know Mac is in there with you.

I saw him go into your building.

I-I don't want him to know that I'm calling you, so...

You've been watching me.

No, uh, no, not watching. Uh, protecting.

[stammering] I just... I wanted to...

Well, I want you to avoid anything foolish.

It looks like my personal life needs protecting.

And, as far as doing anything foolish...

I don't know what you mean.

[Weeks] Look, Virna, you don't understand...

My name's Nightbourne.

Miss Nightbourne, uh, look,

if he wants you to be on his show, say no.

Mm-hmm.

Is there anything else I should say no to?

Weeks?

[Weeks] Oh, you said my name.

Look, Detective Weeks, I can make that decision for myself.

All right, well-well, how 'bout letting me come up,

and we can talk it over?

Sorry, Weeks, I have a date.

[surprised chuckle]

[Mac] Thank you very much.

♪♪

The thing is, I think that opportunity

comes along so rarely.

Look, three weeks ago, I was doing spot jobs.

I was, uh, waiting for my break.

Then, somebody said, "okay," to me.

They handed me my morning show,

and just as I got on the tube,

Betty Mercer's body...

floated up to the top of the Hudson.

Now, I know that sounds grizzly, but that was my opportunity

to put myself on the network map.

Why are you telling me all this?

Because I don't want you to miss an opportunity.

Yes, I-I think that the killer will try to get you,

but I think the killer already knows about you.

Now, if you draw on my show,

you'll need protection, but you already need protection.

Virna, I-I think the best protection in the world

is to be so famous, he won't even dare come close to you.

Or else become a famous corpse.

[gasps]

Wow.

It's beautiful. [romantic music ♪]

Well, I wanna thank you for a lovely evening.

- So, say yes. - [giggling]

Don't be afraid. I'll be with you all the way.

[cars honking]

[woman] Let go of me!

[door slams]

[running footsteps]

Don't fuck with me, you cunt.

Next time I come back here, you better be nice to me.

Otherwise, I'm gonna fuckin' hurt you, you understand?

[scuffling]

Oof! [groaning]

What the...?

Where the fuck...? [door slams]

[heavy footsteps approach]

[machine whirring] Uh!

[struggling]

Help me! Help me!

Help me!

Help!

[frantic screaming]

[birds chirping]

Hey, Doc.

Get one of the kids to put away my oars, will ya?

Tell 'em I'll make 'em a star.

[gravel crunching]

Jesus, Weeks.

What do you want? What're you doin' here?

I want the girl kept outta this.

Don't put her on the show.

What're you, payin' your rent? What's all the interest?

He might try to kill her.

You're right, he might, but we have a plan.

You put her on the show, the deal's off.

[heavy breathing]

[ominous music ♪]

[grunting]

No! No!

Oh, oh!

You all right?

Yeah.

- I'll call the police. - No, I'm all right.

Don't call the police.

[grunt] [panting]

This is Paul McCormack, and the show's called "Talk Back."

This morning, before the broadcast,

I was attacked in my own home.

And although I've only got a- a small cut on my neck

and a lump on my head,

it's obvious that someone wanted to kill me.

And equally obvious to me that that someone is the Handcuff Killer.

But...

he left these behind.

Now, you're seeing these before the police do.

These are the only piece of evidence, real evidence,

directly connected to a living victim.

Apparently, I got too close to him for comfort,

and these are what I have to show for it.

No thanks to the police.

I got a pretty good idea that these things are covered with his fingerprints.

Also, I can make a very accurate description of the man.

And I don't intend to let up on this, not for a moment,

whatever the pressures.

Also...

I expect, very soon, to have a special guest,

who will shed a whole new light on the handcuff killings.

[professor] Thank you. That's all for today.

[students murmuring]

Hi.

[chuckles] I just came by

to say I'm sorry about the other night. - [sighs]

I mean, I know you thought I was spying on you, and, uh...

Well, I just wanted you to know, my interests really are...

strictly personal, actually.

[mumbling] And that's... why I came.

There was another murder last night.

How would you know that?

Because I saw it.

Drew it this morning.

This is it, isn't it?

That's it exactly.

[sighs]

I just did this,

right before you came in, uh...

This is part of the one that I did of myself.

Now, I don't know what these mean, but...

I feel they're coming at me.

Coming at you?

[clears throat]

All right, well, we'll add these to our collection, and, uh...

I'm not going to let anything happen to you.

Okay?

That's a nice-colored sweater.

Oh, uh, my sister's.

My kid sister, yeah, you remind me of her. - Oh, yeah?

Yeah, your eyes. I knew there was something.

I-I didn't know you had a kid sister.

Ah, I don't, but if I did, I know...

You'd remind me of her exactly. - [giggling]

It's a long story, I really was hoping maybe I...

I could tell it to you over dinner, and, uh...

I do a stand-up comic, and...

I'm gonna do my act tonight. I thought...

you might come with me.

I have a date.

Oh.

Uh, Mac?

[Weeks] Hmm.

Well, you could break that. [chuckling]

I mean, Mac's, uh, very involved, uh,

plotting Lieutenant Cullum's downfall anyway, he's...

Go right back to the drawing board and...

What do you say?

[light piano music ♪]

Yeah, I could break it.

[Weeks] Yeah?

Yeah.

[Virna laughing] - Gee, if I-I'd known

it was this far, I mean, I-I... I'd brought my canteen

or my camel.

[gasps] Wait, don't tell me. Woody Allen.

- Yes! - [laughing]

Who's this? Takes, uh, a lot of practice,

and, uh, say goodnight, Gracie.

Uh...

It's not very good, but it's George Burns. [both laughing]

Yes! Thanks a lot.

Ah, come on, I bet you're having more laughs with me

than you had with that TV dinner McCormack, huh? - That's true.

Where'd he take you? Some place classy, huh?

- Mm-hmm. - Where a poor sap like me would feel out of place.

Hey, you wanna go some place classy?

- Yeah. - Okay.

The head waiter, at The Plaza Hotel...

- Uh-huh? - has a brother-in-law who is an illegal alien!

And knows I know it, huh? - [laughing]

- You wanna go to The Plaza Hotel? - Yes.

Okay, it's a snap.

Hey, this is nice. - Okay, thanks.

[clock ticking]

[phone dialing]

Obstetrics, please.

Ohh, wait a second, that was just a little kiss.

[giggling] That's funny.

Um, yes, I'd like to speak to Muriel Watson, please.

Um... [clears throat]

Well, uh, could you tell her that Virna Nightbourne called?

[clears throat]

They have to get her supervisor.

You wanna go to Trinidad with me?

[kissing]

Yes, uh, I'd like to talk to Muriel Watson.

- Uh... - Warm in a hammock, lie in the sun.

- Well, I'd like to leave a message then. - Eat coconuts.

That-that's okay.

Uh... yeah.

Would you tell her that Virna Nightbourne called, please?

Yeah. You're crazy.

- Mm, catch the midnight... - No, no, I was talking to someone else.

I'm sorry, um...

Just tell her I'll meet her at the Comic Strip, okay?

It's a club. - Uh, about a quarter to ten.

[softly] Oh, God.

At about a quarter to ten, 'kay? Bye.

Mm-hmm.

[romantic music ♪]

Hey, Jack.

Hi, Lou.

He's in 4E.

Watch it, he's got his fucking dog with him.

- I owe you one, Jack. - Great, a dog.

- He got a dog up there? - Yeah.

[TV noise]

[outside traffic, honking]

[music, chatter coming from rooms]

Shh.

[speaking Spanish]

[baby crying in distance] [dog whining]

[shouting]

Okay, Browder, hit the lights!

[speaking Spanish]

Are you Willie Gonzales?

- We got a warrant for your arrest. - [speaking Spanish]

[continuing in Spanish]

Clear the hall, Browder.

All right, all right, folks, all right, let's clear it out.

Let's clear the halls. All right, folks, it's a police matter.

[speaking Spanish]

He said somebody paid him.

For what? To kill?

Who paid you?

[shouting in Spanish]

- [speaking in Spanish] - He has no more to say.

Yeah, well tell him we're takin' him down to the station.

[speaking in Spanish]

Okay, [speaking in Spanish]

Now get your shirt.

[speaking in Spanish]

Browder!

[dog barking]

Gonzales!

[gunshot] [dog whimpers]

[gunshots]

[crying out]

- Get her out of here! - Willie!

Get her out of here!

[woman] Willie!

[overlapping shouting]

[audience laughing]

[comedian] I had a kid, Frank Bailey, uh,

these are true kids, you don't have to make 'em up.

- C.J.! - Hi!

- Hi. - How ya doin'?

- Good, good, hey, this is a good crowd tonight. - Terrific, yeah.

This is, uh, my friend, Virna.

- Hi. - Hi.

Hey, good luck tonight. - Thank you, thank you.

- I got you a table. - Yeah?

- Okay, great. - Yup.

[comedian] Uh, people don't realize what it's like

to be a school teacher in this day and age.

My kids have difficulty remembering my name,

uh, Wolfberg, you wouldn't think all that tough, and they

call me "Wolfman" and, uh, "Wolfgang."

I had a kid, first day of school, call me "Wolfshit," uh...

- [crowd laughing] - which is a logical mistake

for a child to make, I guess.

Uh, I had a little girl, Kathleen Lewis.

Uh, nice girl, but she had a health problem a, uh,

chronic gastrointestinal, uh,

disorder and, uh, wasn't funny, wasn't funny.

She-she used to emit prodigious amounts of gas.

And, uh... And well, kids are merciless.

Uh, they used to call her Earth, Wind, and Fire.

[crowd laughing] - Uh...

[applause] Thank you very much, very much.

I was with a lady in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,

little while back, and... who thought of me as nothing more

than a sex object.

I assumed that was the case, she called me a dildo. [crowd laughing]

I said thank you very much.

Uh, it's a different world with you ladies now.

I read the Hite report,

the survey of- of female sexuality, very interesting.

They found, th-they found, for example, that over

60 percent of all women in America,

according to the Hite report, have at one point or another,

faked an orgasm. Sir, that's not your fault,

I'm, uh... I'm sure, uh...

I was subjected to this particular phenomenon once.

Once-once that I know of, anyway, okay, because on this particular occasion

she wasn't really very, very good at it.

Uh... [chuckles] She had no sense of timing.

We weren't even having sex. [crowd laughing]

We were having lunch. She didn't fool nobody.

- Here's the phone, okay? - 'Kay, thanks.

Hello?

Muriel?

[whispering over phone] Virna Nightbourne?

Yes?

I have Muriel Watson with me, outside.

She's in the truck across from the stage door.

Who is this?

It's now ten minutes of ten.

If you're not here in two minutes,

you'll find her crushed under the wheels of the truck,

handcuffed.

Oh, my God...

Muriel.

[comedian] I mean, I like chicken salad as much as much as the next guy...

[crowd laughs]

We're talkin' chicken salad with a kick.

[comedian shouts like a ninja]

[disconcerting music ♪]

Where's Larry Weeks?

Larry Weeks? Uh, I don't know. He must be in the can.

- Thanks. - Hey, you're next.

♪♪

[crowd laughter, cheering]

[distant horn honking]

[tense music ♪]

[tires squeal]

[brakes shriek]

[whimpers]

[heavy breathing]

[screams]

[horn honks]

[screams]

Virna?

[sobbing] Muriel! Thank God, you're safe.

I-I'm right here.

- He tried to kill me! - Tried to kill...

- Come on, come on. - He was the killer!

I have to stop him!

Stop him... from... - Come on.

Come on, we're gonna go to the hospital.

Get in. Saint Clare's Hospital!

- Fourteen... - 'Kay, what's the count?

- Thirteen... - Thirteen.

Twelve... Let's go, girls, hurry it up.

Ten... - You ready, Virna?

Nine... eight... - 'Kay, I just want you to relax.

Let's go, girls, finish her off, please.

Five... - I'll lead you through the whole show, okay?

- Okay. - You ready?

Three, two, one... [show music ♪]

Quiet, and you're on.

Good morning. This is Paul McCormack,

and the show's called "Talk Back."

As I promised you, I have a very special guest for you this morning.

Late last night,

the Handcuff Killer

attempted a hit and run on Miss Virna Nightbourne.

So let me introduce my guest to you right now.

I want to point out to you that you see before you the two

latest intended victims of the Handcuff Killer.

Like me, Virna was getting a little too close to him for comfort,

but with an entirely different method.

Suppose you tell us now, Virna,

exactly what you've been doing that, uh,

drew the killer's attention to you.

Um... [clears throat]

I'm a student at the Art Students League, and, uh,

one afternoon

I was sketching and...

it was in life class.

I thought I heard something...

at the window behind me.

And...

then I... [eerie music ♪]

Yes? Go on.

♪♪

[pencil scratches]

What we do here today may, conceivably, save many lives.

[pencil scratching]

♪♪

[grunting]

[moans]

[pencil scratching]

[gasping]

[crying]

Just relax. It's all right, just relax.

It's gonna be all right.

- [sobbing] - Okay.

Can I turn this around and show this to the cameras?

Is it all right?

Thank you.

Give me a close up on this, will ya? On camera two?

We got that?

[tires squealing]

[muffled cries]

[muffled cries]

[birds chirping]

[bubbling]

[doorbell buzzing]

[scoffs]

What are you doing here?

God, Weeks, you get more like Cullum every day.

What happened to you? I called here all night!

I called the studio, they said you were gone. Where were you?

The show was taped, hotshot.

Where were you last night?

- Hey, you know what you've done? - What have I done?

- You realize what you've done? - I haven't done a damn thing!

[overlapping shouting] - Oh, just stop it!

I think Virna would like you to leave.

Hey, you get out of here. We're here on police business.

You get the hell out of here.

You call me later.

You're a tough man, Weeks.

Miss Nightbourne, did Miss Watson say anything last night?

Did she get a look at the killer?

No, she said she didn't see him.

She didn't see his face.

Well, he thought she did.

If there's any information... - Lou, give me some time, will ya?

Now, get a suitcase and pack some things, all right?

What for?

Because you've gotta get outta here!

How easy do you wanna make it for this maniac?

Do you understand what is goin' on here?

Dammit, what's the matter with you?

Don't you understand? - Go away!

You cannot stay here! [Lou] Weeks?

Weeks, let's go.

[Virna sobbing]

[door closing]

I wanna talk to you.

- You got a warrant? - Look, I don't care what you think.

It's Virna I'm concerned about. She's not safe there.

I know she'd stay with you.

At least I'd know where she is.

Sure, fine.

But I want you to stay away.

And if there's any more police business, send Cullum.

[ominous music ♪]

Mill, I still don't understand.

What are you tryin' to do?

Tryin' to solve your little puzzle.

Well, why do ya keep movin' them around?

Just separating the realistic ones from the others.

Now, we know this is...

Burt Johnson...

the college kid.

[sighs]

This is Betty Mercer...

I made a new drawing.

Has anyone seen it?

Did you show it to Weeks?

No.

This is the first time I've drawn them all together.

This is great, I want you to come back on my show with this, okay?

So then they were all together there when Betty Mercer was killed.

Yes.

There's the boy who drowned in the pool.

There's the Con Ed man who was electrocuted.

Who's this?

The killer.

Or the next victim.

Then I have to go back and draw again.

I have to draw his face.

Now this one, she said was of something that belonged to the killer.

[muttering] Let's see...

Look at this.

Look how the dark mass in this...

realistic drawing is also in this one.

And this section is no more than a...

blow-up of this.

[sighs]

I-I can't.

- Okay, all right. - I'm just, I'm too tired.

Okay, I want you to lie down and rest for a while, okay?

Come in the other room.

Okay.

I'll call Cullen.

We'll show him the drawing.

These jagged lines do look like the teeth of open handcuffs.

Maybe it fits...

No... It doesn't fit anywhere.

This could be the claw of a lobster.

Hm.

Or a crab.

[chilling music ♪]

[hard breathing]

♪♪

[music escalates ♪]

♪♪

[music calms ♪]

[glass clinks]

[siren wailing]

[distant horns honking]

[siren wailing]

Goddammit, move it!

Move it, Goddammit! Move it!

You crazy son of a bitch!

Whad'ya think of that dumb bastard?

[suspenseful music ♪]

Hurry, hurry, please!

[shocking music ♪]

[screams]

[wood creaks]

♪♪

[car horns honking]

♪♪

[wind blowing] [panting]

[squeaking]

[distant ship horn]

[panting]

[wind blowing]

[distant police siren]

[gasps]

[screams]

[grunting]

- [choking noises] - [heavy breathing]

[wind blowing]

Uh!

[grunting]

Oh!

Ahh!

[grunting]

[Mac, weakly] Let me go.

Please.

[thud]

[wind blows]

♪♪

- No! No! No! - It's all right!

It's Weeks, it's me. It's Weeks, it's all right.

[whispers] It's all right. - [panting]

♪♪

[police radio chatter]

They should be down soon.

Tom, it seems there was a fight on the roof.

McCormack slipped, fell off the edge.

[grunts]

Too bad we lost him. When Betty Mercer surfaced,

McCormack was afraid that one of the three would turn him in.

How did they meet?

It was just a coincidence. They met her in a bar and they hired her for the night.

Right.

And the night he murdered the kid in the pool and the Con Ed man...

he missed Teddy Gallagher.

- Apparently, Gallagher hired... - Willie Gonzales...

to bump him off.

- Apparently? - Wha?

Apparently, Lieutenant?

There is nothing apparent about murder, Lieutenant.

Detective Weeks!

Detective Weeks, sir, can you tell us what happened up there?

Uh, no. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can say right now.

You from channel six?

That's right, sir.

Is Werner Armstrong around?

Yes, he's right over there.

Is there anything you can say?

Say g'night, Gracie.

Good night, Gracie.

♪♪